The Elephant in the Room; lack of civic sense and etiquettes
I recently came across a discussion about South Asians abroad that contained a mixture of valid criticism, sweeping generalisations, and outright prejudice. While I disagreed with many of the comments, it also made me reflect on something important.
As a South Asian woman myself, I can't help but wonder, are there behaviours within our communities that we should be more willing to acknowledge and address?
For example:
- Caste discrimination and caste-based exclusion.
- Bringing political or religious tensions from India into diaspora communities.
- Lack of respect for local customs, rules, or social norms.
- Favouritism towards people from the same region, language group, or social circle.
- Being unwilling to integrate while expecting acceptance from others.
Another thing I often hear is that South Asian women are far better than men.
I'm genuinely interested in hearing from you all living & born abroad as well as South Asians living in South Asia. What have you observed? What do you think we do well, and what could we do better as guests, immigrants, students, workers, or citizens in other countries?